Kaela
Posted on Thu Oct 18th, 2012 @ 1:18pm by Eldren Tohr
Mission:
Sections of the Delta Quadrant
Location: Bajor
Timeline: Long ago
Kaela
“When my love said to me
Meet me down by the gallow tree
For it's sad news I bring
About this old town and all that it's offering…”
(Belfast Child – Simple Minds)
***** Bajor – Many years ago *****
Far removed from the big urban centers of the continent and quietly resting in the foothills of the Elor peaks the village of Talàhl was devoid of any military or economic importance to the greedy eyes of the Cardassian conquerors.
Built on the banks of Tal river its people lived a somewhat peaceful life, even under the Cardassian yoke, mainly consisting of raising crops and cattle.
Kohn-Ma leaders seemed to think otherwise and, for some unknown reason, dispatched well-trained personnel in the province under orders to spy and report everything happened in Talàhl whereabouts.
“We should be around killing Cardassians.” Eldren Tohr snapped in disappointment.
“The orders are to watch closely this village. We do not know what our comrades are doing in the rest of the province. Perhaps this assignment will allow them to kill some in our stead.” Dolen Vral responded calmly looking towards the village.
“Yes, whatever.” Tohr moved himself closer to the tree caring to remain covered by the lush undergrowth and took out the binoculars from the pack “It’s eight days now that we’re posting this village. And rained for the last two.”
As if on a cue the sound of raindrops on the leaves came to their ears, slowly at first.
“You see? It starts again.” Tohr remarked covering himself with the camouflage cloth they had with them.
“Perhaps the Prophets are listening you. Tell me what you see.” Vral asked while checking the weapons and delicate equipment to have it protected from the rain.
Bringing the binoculars to his eyes Tohr scanned the village for some instants before grunting “Usual sights. Villagers start going home for the rain. Kaela’s there too, on the river bank. She’s running up home now.”
“Kaela…” Vral chuckled packing the last communicator.
Tohr liked the village girl and had given her a name, for he didn’t know her real one. With nothing else to do in the long hours of watch, Tohr counted each time he spotted the girl by setting aside a small pebble. Now he had a small mound beside him.
Anytime he saw her, he wondered of good things, well-knowing that they could never have the opportunity to get acquainted, exchange a few words or anything else. He was a Kohn-Ma on mission, bound to remain a shadow in darkness to her. Forever.
More days passed and more rain fell from the sky and more pebbles were added to the mound.
Suddenly one day Tohr and Vral went on maximum alert. Totally unexpected a couple of cardassian soldiers showed up at the village. Went about the village watching and talking with the bajorans and then left without causing any damage.
The tension waned and Vral noted everything down for the future report to be done while their observation continued.
Tohr had agreed to do most of his postings after sunset while Vral slept. Sometimes Kaela exited her home in the night, if the sky was clear, and stood there watching the stars for a while before returning inside home.
In that moments the urge to speak to her became stronger in Tohr he would have given everything to hear her voice, come to know of her desires or hopes, anything.
Kaela is talking with her grandpa… Kaela is herding her little brothers to lunch… Kaela is bathing in the river… Kaela is doing the laundry…
One morning, under a leaden sky, the Cardassian came again there were more of them, they had landed with a transport shuttle not far from the village. Tohr had woken up Vral with a kick and weapons were lock’n’loaded in an instant. Tension rose again and Tohr felt his heart pumping hard in his throat and temples.
“We have to know what’s going on.” Vral stated as a matter of fact. Tohr just nodded.
Sneaking they got closer to the village remaining on the other side of the river. The cardassian officer was shouting to be heard by all villagers who’d been called to his presence. Walking up and down in front of the people gathered there he was delivering the usual tirade.
“This village has come under the benevolent eye of Gul Markat, governor of this province. Striving in an effort to make this province richer and progressed for all its inhabitants, Gul Markat has increased the exploitation of its resources. Mineral and otherwise.”
The officer paused to let his words sink in with the audience a shark’s grin appearing on his face, a good number of Bajorans were listening now and the cardassian soldiers were watching closely every move.
“So…” he reprised “To realize this ambitious project Gul Markat has decreed that each household in the province will send one of their members to build a workforce that will be employed in the various mining facilities.”
This time a low buzzing could be distinctly heard from the bajorans. Anyone knew that working in the mining labor camp under the cardassians was most likely a death sentence.
“The workers must be gathered here and ready to leave in half an hour.” The officer said cutting short bajorans’ protests.
“You’ll leave us without people for the harvest. There will be hunger for the village.” The old leader of Talàhl had stepped forward in a desperate attempt to void cardassians purposes “The Gul cannot condemn us to famine.”
The officer didn’t even bother to respond as one of his men planted the riflebutt in the old man’s back sending him to the ground. “You cannot ask us this.” The man moaned in pain.
“Well…” The cardassian responded “I’ve asked you kindly because Gul Markat thinks that we should be cooperating for the better future of Bajor. But in my humble opinion you bajoran scum are weak and do not deserve to have things just asked. All you need is someone that tells you what to do. Someone with the backbone you do not have.”
“We are pacific people…” the man pleaded from the ground. The cardassian officer just nodded to the soldier standing above him who hit him again.
Some of the young villagers reacted and that was probably what the cardassians had hoped for. Chaos broke out as some bajorans tried to flee while others tried to fight back as the cardassians had dropped any pretense at civility.
“We have to help them!” Tohr said starting to move towards the river bank bringing the riflebutt to the shoulder he took a bead right on the cardassian officer.
“No we’re not!” Vral stopped him taking hold of Tohr’s gun “You know the drill. Here only to observe. Any problem and disengage.”
Tohr turned to face his comrade eyes mad with rage “They’re going to enslave them, all those they won’t kill outright! Come. With surprise we can kill some of them and make the others flee.”
“You’re mad.” Vral retorted “To gain what? In an hour this place would be swarming with cardassians searching for us and they will do worse to make the villagers speak.”
Tohr turned to watch the village again where the cardassian soldiers were roughly herding random people for the labor camps under weapons threat others were firing their weapons on the buildings.
Kaela was there. Tohr saw her between the prisoners, paralyzed by fear as the cardassians drove them to the shuttle.
Vral stepped forward taking him by the collar “I’m in command here. Don’t make me regret to have chosen you for the mission. Are you listening? ARE YOU LISTENING??”
Tohr turned to face him in a sort of drunken stupor.
“Forget them. We can do nothing. Kohn-Ma has priority. If we are caught or discovered everything will have been for naught. We’ll never be able to kick cardassians from our planet.”
“One day” Vral added in the end.
Tohr listened to Vral’s words as if coming through a dream…No. A nightmare indeed. Unable to speak, unable to move.
Vral brought his face a mere inch from Tohr’s hissing with rage “Disengage!”
In the dwindling light of nightfall two lone resistance fighters opened their way through the undergrowth slowly scuttling away. Behind them distant cries of desperation and fear could be heard while columns of dark smoke slowly rose to the sky.
***** SB900 – Present *****
For a time that seemed endless the man sat in the total darkness of his room regarding the cold stars shining outside the portal.
Only a slight golden glitter from his right ear reflected a portion of that shine as he slowly leaned to leave the empty glass on the table.
Standing, he strapped a belt with pouches to his waist a faint whir ensued as he checked the disruptor before holstering it.
Light invaded the room as the doors hissed open. He walked quietly into the corridor, the doors hissed again closing behind him.
Darkness was back.
******************
Eldren Tohr
Memory-laden Ex-Resistance Fighter
(Dolen Vral
Veteran Resistance Commander)
